


a bundle of sunlight now pushes in my direction

by vagarius



Series: aoi shiori (there really must be something wrong with me) [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Childhood, Free! Secret Santa 2015, Gen, M/M, Sweet, at least somewhat, in which sousuke is continuously amazed by rin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-08 06:39:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5487347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vagarius/pseuds/vagarius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Come swim with me?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	a bundle of sunlight now pushes in my direction

**Author's Note:**

> this was actually originally supposed to be souharu? but i wrote one line and was like "that's a rin thing" and switched it

Sousuke regrets coming here, to an extent, because he wants to get up and _do_ but knows that he _can't_ , and it's more than a little frustrating. At the same time it's calming, as long as he doesn't think about the things he can't do without nearly passing out, like running or soccer or basketball games.

Instead, he sits and breathes like he was told to, and catches a whiff of chlorine from the room next to door. He goes through his mental checklist of things he shouldn't do, finds that water is nowhere on the list, and opens the door.

The first thing he sees is not the pool, but a mop of red hair. It stands out against the blue of the walls and the white of the tile, and Sousuke finds himself still staring when the boy with the red hair turns to him. His arms flail out in greeting, as if he didn't already pop out like a beacon.

"Come swim with me?" he asks, and Sousuke doesn't get why he feels so special, getting asked such a simple request from across the room, but he does, and he can't help but smile. The boy waves his arms one more time, before turning towards the pool once more.

Sousuke follows.

 

 

 

Sousuke doesn't have a swimsuit, that first day, or many days after, so he simply dips his feet and calves into the pool, watching Rin glide through the water.

He learns that Rin's swimming is less of a glide and more like a series of slices, cutting so smoothly that Sousuke doesn't figure it out until one day he sees the ripples it leaves behind, so very different from the ones his own feet leave when he makes circles in the water, or when he occasionally splashes the back of Rin's head. Whenever he does, Rin glares back at him, but Sousuke can see the way the edges of his lips tip up, and knows that Rin doesn't actually mind all that much.

They rock-paper-scissors for everything – who carries the drinks from the vending machines, who gets the last soda-flavored ice pop, who has to ask for paper towels when they spill their drinks or drip syrup on the floor. Rin almost always wins, and Sousuke is stuck with the short end of the stick. It's annoying, of course, and not even the way Rin fails to look smug changes this.

The one time Sousuke does win, he can get any one thing. He draws a blank, though, and saves it for another time.

 

 

 

Sousuke isn't _cold,_ per say, but Rin is so light and bright and warm that Sousuke feels like he is, sometimes.

The feeling is especially prominent, one day, when he finds Rin crying at the side of the pool, and he doesn't know what to do other than sit there next to him. Rin is the one who leans his head against Sousuke's chest, the one who wraps his arms around Sousuke's waist, and all Sousuke does is sit there as he cries, cries, cries.

It's only when Rin's noises have subsided to the occasional sniffle that Sousuke places his arms around him. Rin's still shaking, slightly, but he's warm against Sousuke's almost-cold and they feel so much closer than they've ever been.

If Rin hadn't been crying at the start of it, it'd be kind of nice.

 

 

 

The sky is orange and summer-sweet the day Sousuke finally makes his request.

"You remember when I won rock-paper-scissors, and said I could get any one thing?" he asks, and Rin nods, absentmindedly, but Sousuke can tell he's listening by the way his shoulders shrug down ever so slightly from his ears. "I want you to go to the festival with me."

Rin looks up, then, and his face is so fond that Sousuke might've stopped breathing for a second. "Okay," he responds, and just like that, they're going to the festival together.

The _I would've gone with you anyway_ remains unspoken.

 

 

 

Sousuke's staring, and he knows it, as Rin looks over the expanse of ocean in amazement. His whole face is alight, Sousuke thinks, and is surprised he hasn't been burned by Rin's sheer existence, so openly bright it hurts, sometimes.

"The water looks pretty," Rin starts to say, but Sousuke doesn't catch the rest, too busy taking in the way the reflected colors from the lights dance on Rin's skin, and when Rin smiles at him, the colors shimmer, like the soft glow of birthday candles before making a wish. Rin leans over the railing, still smiling, and lets the wind run its fingers through his hair, and Rin is shining so much in that openly bright way of his that Sousuke almost looks away.

But then his eyes scrunch up against the breeze, as well as his lips and cheeks, and Sousuke laughs because he looks so silly, now, when he had looked so ethereal just seconds ago. Rin starts laughing, too, and grabs his hand and doesn't let go.

His hand is warm.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus:
> 
> "The water looks pretty, doesn't it? You can see all the lights shining off of it." Rin turns around, and sees Sousuke staring at him, but he can't figure out why. He's smiling, though, so he smiles back, and leans over the railing so he can feel the breeze rise up from the water.
> 
> Rin's eyes scrunch up as the wind gets in his eyes, and he can hear Sousuke laughing at him, and he can't find it in himself to care. And suddenly Rin's doubled over, laughing so hard his chest sort of burns, and his eyes start tearing up, but he can feel his head tingling with happiness and his fingers with the need to reach out and _hold,_ so he grabs onto Sousuke's hand and doesn't let go, even after their laughter slowly fades away to silence.
> 
> To Rin, Sousuke's laugh sounds like stars spilling over, but he keeps this thought to himself, at least for now. He breathes in the silence, then breathes it back out, tinged with a feeling he doesn't care to name, and continues to smile.


End file.
